The Emery Theater reopened in October 2025 after decades out of use, returning the 1911 Over-the-Rhine auditorium at 1112 Walnut Street to service as The Children's Theatre of Cincinnati’s permanent home. Its renovation was part of a $51.5 million campaign.
From orchestra hall to theater company home
Philanthropist Mary Emery funded the theater, designed by Samuel Hannaford & Sons. It housed the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra until 1936. The Children’s Theatre moved to the Taft Theatre in 1969; Cincinnati Magazine’s account of the Emery’s history describes the company’s later return to its first home. Developers Dave Neyer and Chris Frutkin bought the vacant complex from the University of Cincinnati for $8.55 million in 2019 and transferred it to the theater company in December 2023, the Cincinnati Business Courier reported.
The campaign included a $2 million anonymous gift in March 2025 and two $500,000 gifts from the Farmer Family Foundation, according to Movers & Makers. The company had about 40 performance days each year at the Taft, the Business Courier reported, before gaining a permanent venue.
Restoration and stage changes
Terrex Development & Construction completed the restoration and renovation, with GBBN leading the architectural design, CityBeat reported. The work retained historic interior features and added building systems and elevators. The theater has a capacity of just over 1,500.
The stage equipment includes a lift, a rotating platform, projection mapping and a 40-by-60-foot LED screen. Cincinnati Magazine reported on the theater’s specialized stage features. The company reopened the venue with The Wizard of Oz: Youth Edition in October 2025, directed by TCT Artistic Director Roderick Justice.
Five honors since reopening
The renovation has received recognition across preservation, community-impact and historic-theater categories. Cincinnati Preservation named the Emery its 2026 Preservation Champion; CREDA Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky gave it the 2026 Community Impact of the Year award at its Night of the Stars gala; and Heritage Ohio selected it as its 2026 Historic Theatre of the Year, presenting the award at Cincinnati’s Woodward Theatre on September 30. CityBeat reported the honors.
Two further recognitions came through a national retrofit awards program and a state preservation award. The project took first place in the historic category of Retrofit Magazine’s 2026 Metamorphosis Awards, with coverage slated for the magazine’s November/December 2026 awards issue, and was selected for a 2026 State Historic Preservation Office award, scheduled to be presented November 6 at the Thomas C. Moyer Judicial Center in Columbus. CityBeat reported those details.
Other restoration models and audience reach
Cincinnati has other restored performance venues, but with different roles. According to the Cincinnati Arts Association, Music Hall reopened in October 2017 after extensive renovations and serves several arts organizations, including the Cincinnati Opera, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, May Festival and Cincinnati Ballet. The Woodward Theater’s history describes another Over-the-Rhine reuse: its owners began pursuing the venue in 2013 and undertook a year-long renovation; it now hosts concerts, films and other events. These are multi-use venue models, distinct from the Emery’s role as a permanent home for The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati. The Children’s Theatre’s annual-fund case statement says that in the 2022-23 season it provided nearly $800,000 in ticket subsidies to students, with 54% of the tickets provided discounted for Title 1 students. Those figures document the company’s audience access before the Emery reopened in October 2025; they do not provide a post-reopening comparison. See the company’s annual-fund case statement.
